


The Greatest Treasure

by thechavanator



Category: Dragon Quest XI
Genre: (nothing really big just a few references), Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dragon Quest XI Act II Spoilers, F/F, Hero | Luminary is Named Eleven | El (Dragon Quest XI), Mute Hero | Luminary (Dragon Quest XI), i just think gemma should have magic okay, in which jade and gemma kinda-sorta help adopt a bunch of runaways, no beta we die like irwin, okay i know canon is fantasy but. bear with me, short hair jade (because i said so), the briefest appearances of erik and serena and quick refs to veronica and mia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-17 15:33:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29594913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thechavanator/pseuds/thechavanator
Summary: And there’s that soft expression again, a sort of...understanding? Gemma hums, furrowing her brow as she mulls something over in her head. She shakes the thought out, reaching for Jade’s hand. “Come with me,” she tells her.Jade has no reason to distrust her (and besides, Jade has pulled herself out of plenty of scrapes before, if it really comes down to it), so she grabs Gemma’s hand. The mage waves her staff, and in the blink of an eye, the world around her fades from view.Or: Jade, having escaped the royal life for adventure and freedom, tries to track down the mythical city of Cobblestone (and its many treasures) only to be faced with its guardian, who's seemingly not up for any of her treasure-hunting nonsense but quickly changes her tune when she realizes exactly what Jade has been through. Quite a few gay crises ensue.
Relationships: Emma | Gemma/Marutina | Jade (Dragon Quest XI)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 8





	The Greatest Treasure

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Puffinpastry](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Puffinpastry/gifts).



> Hi Puff!!! So back in like November when you were having a shit anon situation Addy and I were like "man i wish there was something I can do to help cheer Puff up" and then i conjured this idea and didn't actually get far with it until this week. Whoops! So now it's less "cheer up after your shit anons" and more like a..."thank you for keeping me from going totally nuts" gift?
> 
> I apologize if this reads as a little disjointed!!! Again, started in November, and also I gave this a _very_ quick once-over, hahah. I really hope you enjoy all the same!!!

If her map’s right, then she’s just about found it: the mythical city of Cobblestone (not the proper name, merely filtered through a thousand years of translation until it became all too literal), which should be nestled right here. Just underneath the Tor, the mountain serving as its shield from prying eyes, or so they say.

Of course, these are merely myths, as no one has seen the city with their own eyes. Jade had set out to change that, after all.

And yet…it seems there’s nothing here. Nothing but the Tor looming above her and empty grassland at her feet. To be expected, of course, given that none have set foot within its walls and lived, but Jade’s seen plenty of forbidden relics, and all had  _ some _ way of allowing outsiders in (if only to lure them to their deaths). But there’s nothing that even hints of a city here.

A lesser explorer would give up, turn tail and search for an easier relic to find. But Jade has always been rather stubborn, and she certainly didn’t earn her reputation by giving up.

(Her stubbornness led to this path in the first place, after all; too stubborn to tolerate the cushy palace life she’d hated, and all too aware that her father’s men would be searching for her in every place they can think of. Why not try to find places said to be unfindable, and perhaps gain some coin from the discovery, while she’s at it?)

“There must be something,” she mumbles, wandering around the clearing, stepping in every divot (could be a trap door or a switch), shoving every rock that looks even slightly out of place. The rewards for her work...only muddy feet and dirty, scratched-hands. Far better than most of her bumpier excursions, that’s for certain.

Perhaps the map had been wrong; maybe it was a red herring, deliberately falsified to ensure that all those who seek Cobblestone’s treasure will be led far from its gates. Or perhaps there’s another way in that she hadn’t considered?

She hears a crack of thunder and a giggle from somewhere above her. “Well, I sure admire your tenacity! But I’m afraid you’re not getting in there, love.”

Jade looks up to find a young woman who  _ definitely  _ hadn’t been there before this moment, seated on the cliff face with her legs dangling; she’s cloaked in orange robes, idly swishing her staff through the air. Be still, Jade’s terribly gay heart.

The strange girl continues. “Y’see, I can’t let just  _ anyone _ in there. Place is protected, and all.” She hops down, gesturing with her staff and magically slowing her fall. “Can’t afford to let our treasure be stolen away.”

Jade laughs. “Of course. Treasure hunts like these are never that easy.” She quirks her head. “But what, exactly, makes you so certain that I’d never get in?”

The girl’s expression sours the instant Jade mentions  _ treasure hunts. _ “Well, for starters, I’m the one who grants access to Cobblestone.” She slams her staff on the ground. “And before you ask, you can’t  _ sneak in  _ behind me. Trust me, I’ve planned for that.”

Jade swears under her breath.  _ Clearly _ this girl has some experience. The best Jade can manage is to butter her up in hopes that she’ll conveniently forget that Jade is hunting for treasure. (Should come fairly naturally, considering Jade is, as mentioned, terribly gay.) “So, you won’t let me in, but could I at least earn the privilege of knowing your name?”

The girl rolls her eyes. “I’m not a fae, that  _ true name _ nonsense won’t work on me.” She plops inelegantly onto the ground, seemingly unconcerned with the dirt and grass around her. “But, if you’re  _ truly _ curious, my name is Gemma.”

“Gemma...a lovely name for a lovelier young woman.” Jade watches her roll her eyes again; clearly this will be a harder task than she’d previously thought. But far be it from Jade to turn down a challenge. “You said you ‘grant access’ to Cobblestone?”

Gemma stiffens. “Yes. That’s why no one has made it there and back again. I don’t treat trespassers kindly, and neither do the rest of the folks in the village.”

Jade nods. “Oh, I certainly understand. With a—”

Footsteps, heavy ones, with the telltale  _ clip-clop _ of hooves on stone. Jade cuts herself off entirely, clamping a hand over her mouth for good measure. Goddess, had they found her, even here?

“Princess!” a voice calls, and Jade conjures all matter of curses within her own head. Of course they had found her; Jade may be stubborn, but the knights of Heliodor easily match her in tenacity.

To put it bluntly: fuck.

Jade  _ bolts, _ finding cover within a nearby bush, curling in on herself as tightly as she can in the hopes that the knights will give up and head back empty-handed. It’s a fruitless hope, of course; they surely heard her, and it’s only a matter of time before their search finds her, only a matter of time before she’s dragged back to the court life she  _ detested. _

She blinks, and the world flickers around her. She blinks again, and the next time she looks at her hand, she can see through it.

Gemma pulls her to her feet as the knights approach, and the two manage to slip away seconds before they would have found her hiding spot. Jade leans against the wall, panting from exertion as she wills her heart rate to slow down. 

She watches the knights search the area; one of them  _ humphs _ as he tells his companions, “It’s no use, she’s not here after all.” And then they retreat, the  _ clip-clop _ growing fainter and fainter as the sight of them grows smaller, before ultimately becoming one with the horizon.

The next time Jade looks at Gemma, the mage’s demeanor has shifted entirely; her expression is softer, from what she can tell, given that Gemma hasn’t lifted whatever spell she’d cast on them both. A silence descends upon the two of them, not quite tense but not  _ comfortable,  _ either. Jade tries to think of  _ something  _ to break the silence before Gemma takes that burden off her shoulders.

“You hadn’t told me you were being followed.”

Jade tenses. “I...truth be told, I had believed that they wouldn’t follow me here. I thought I had the only map, and I’d ensured they wouldn’t have any way of tracing my path…” Well, there goes any chance of her flattering her way into Cobblestone.

Gemma frowns. “Well, if you don’t mind telling me, why  _ are  _ you being followed?” She’s being oddly nice, now...concerning. Perhaps Gemma’s plotting her death.

She sighs; no use in hiding it. What use would the guardian of a treasure town need with bounty money, after all? “I am a princess...well, I  _ was  _ one, before I grew tired of courtly nonsense. I was  _ rarely _ given a choice, when it came to my schedule or my personal freedom, and so my only course of action was to run from it.”

And there’s that soft expression again, a sort of...understanding? Gemma hums, furrowing her brow as she mulls  _ something _ over in her head. She shakes the thought out, reaching for Jade’s hand. “Come with me,” she tells her.

Jade has no reason to distrust her (and besides, Jade has pulled herself out of plenty of scrapes before, if it really comes down to it), so she grabs Gemma’s hand. The mage waves her staff, and in the blink of an eye, the world around her fades from view.

\---

As the blurriness fades from her vision, Jade eyes her surroundings with increasing curiosity. The Tor still towers above her, the sky is still blue, the grass at her feet is still green, but where there was once empty space, there are now buildings, and animals, and children playing.

Gemma squeezes her hand (oh, goddess, she hasn’t let go) and answers her question before she can think to ask it: “Welcome to Cobblestone, love.” (And, oh, if that doesn’t add fuel to the gay-crisis fire.)

Jade had expected something...grander, to tell the truth. For all the talk of treasures, Cobblestone is rather unassuming, more like an average country town than a place hiding gold, or jewels, or...well, to be truthful, Jade had never heard just  _ what _ the treasure of Cobblestone is.

“There’s a reason I keep this place hidden away,” Gemma mumbles, releasing Jade’s hand (a blessing and a curse wrapped up in one big bundle of emotions) as she gestures to the village. “Y’see, the  _ treasure _ of Cobblestone is the folks it protects. Most everyone here is running from something, or some _ one.” _ She leaves Jade to her thoughts.

“So, Cobblestone is a safe haven, then.” The last piece of the metaphorical jigsaw puzzle slots into place.

Gemma nods. “That’s why I can’t let just anyone in. And why I let  _ you _ in.” She grips her staff uneasily, staring at her feet. “Mum protected the village before I did, and Granddad before her. It’s kind of a family business.”

Jade can certainly understand  _ that, _ though her “family business” was politics. “It must be difficult work to take on alone.”

Gemma blushes. (Blushes? Strange…) “Oh, gosh, it really isn’t. I’m the only one who can take people here. Or back, for that matter.” She shrugs. “Worst comes to worst and someone gets in who shouldn’t, I keep them here. Really, the struggle is finding those who need protecting in the first place.”

Now, Jade may have been a princess, but she’s  _ hardly  _ a delicate flower; even before she took off, she’d managed to harass a few knights into training her, when she was younger and Father was less strict about her free time. And, really, it truly  _ is _ a shame that Gemma has to keep the village safe  _ and _ find those who need shelter here all by herself. Perhaps an extra set of hands would do her good.

(Or perhaps she’s merely letting her little crush on Gemma guide her decision-making. Which, truth be told, wouldn’t be the  _ worst _ thing, if it helped the poor girl out.)

“Give me a day or two,” Jade tells her. “Enough time to get a new outfit and change up my hair. I’ll join you.”

Gemma’s eyes widen for a moment before she  _ beams _ at Jade, and Jade already knows she made the right choice.

\---

It’s strange, really; for the first time in years, Jade’s hair is actually  _ short. _ She runs her fingers through it idly. Not unpleasant, just...different.

Jade catches Gemma staring at her out of the corner of her eye on one of their excursions to the outside world; upon realizing she’s been caught, she quickly turns away, face burning red. Hm. Interesting.

“How romantic,” one of their rescues murmurs as soon as Gemma is out of earshot. (The girl’s twin sister rolls her eyes.)

Jade eyes her with  _ great _ confusion. “Romantic? No, you must be mistaken. I’m merely aiding her, so the town’s duties aren’t placed squarely on her shoulders.”

“So you’re just oblivious, then.” Another of the newest residents in Cobblestone—alongside his sister, both of them sporting shockingly blue hair—narrows his eyes at her, jerking a thumb in Gemma’s direction. “I’ve known her for all of two days, and I can  _ already _ tell she wears her heart on her sleeve. Just...do yourself a favor, get your shit together, and talk to her before I go  _ insane.” _

Jade merely blows him off. He’s probably imagining things. Like she is.

(But if she isn’t...well, that’s a possibility she’d rather not consider, if she’s telling the truth. No need for false hope.)

\---

_ “So.”  _ Eleven grins at her; Jade may not have known him as long as Gemma has, but he’s latched onto her rather quickly— _ “she’s like an extra sister,”  _ she’d overheard him telling Erik once—so she’s already come to learn that when Eleven grins like that, trouble isn’t far behind.  _ “I caught Gemma working on something.” _

Jade sighs. “I’ve told her to take it easy. She already does enough for Cobblestone.”

Eleven nods. “ _ Me too, but you know her. She never listens.  _ Anyway,  _ she saw me and basically shoved me out of the room. So whatever it is has to be something important.” _

“Perhaps she’s making you a gift.” Jade shrugs; it’s none of her business, and none of Eleven’s, either, but neither she nor Gemma (nor anyone else in Cobblestone, for that matter) has ever really been able to tell him off.

He grins at her again, wider, scooching closer to make sure the conversation stays between the two of them.  _ “You think she’d be making a dress for me? I mean, not that I’d be opposed, but green isn’t really my color.” _

That gives her pause. She’d known that Gemma had done seamstress work in the past, before she’d taken over the job of Cobblestone’s protector, but why would she make a dress for Gemma?

She pushes aside her confusion, ruffling Eleven’s hair. “She shooed you away and yet you had enough time to give me such a detailed description? Perhaps you were seeing things,” she half-teases.

He rolls his eyes.  _ “I know what I saw,”  _ he replies, eyeing her strangely.  _ “Erik’s right, you  _ are _ oblivious.” _

At this point, she’s almost starting to wonder if they truly are right.

\---

Their next trip to the outside world is uneventful as usual; their rescues had already fled from their home, taking shelter in a nearby cave, so it was little effort to take them back to Cobblestone without being seen. (Honestly, how could the people of Hotto consider  _ human sacrifice _ acceptable? Jade suspects she and Gemma will be back again soon enough…)

This time, however, the newest villagers rush off to settle in, the children already finding new playmates, but Gemma grabs Jade’s hand before she can join them. “Wait, love, um, would you mind following me back to my place?” She’s far more jittery than usual, wringing her hands and fidgeting with her skirt.

Odd, Jade thinks, before she recalls her conversation with Eleven.  _ Hm. _ Well, there’s no sense in trying to deliberate that, or letting Gemma panic enough to revoke the offer, so she merely follows her lead. Down the hill, up another hill, back to Gemma’s house…

Gemma leads her into her bedroom, sitting her down on the bed, nervously rummaging through her dresser. “So, um,” she begins as she continues her search, “I put a lot of time into this, you know, between our little trips and whatnot. And I’m...really hoping you like it.”

Finally, her hands seem to find what they’re searching for, and from the dresser she pulls a  _ stunning _ dark green dress. It’s rather simple, of course, given that Cobblestone is a simple place (and Jade frankly, hadn’t let Gemma out of her sight during their trips), but truth be told, Jade likes that  _ far _ more than anything more ornate.

Jade lets her mind wander for a minute; for all of her hatred of the princess life, there had been parts of it that she truly enjoyed, and she’d be lying if she claimed she’d hated the few balls she’d been able to attend. It would be  _ marvelous _ to have one of their own here in town (on a much smaller scale, of course)...and if she could steal a dance or two from Gemma, even better.

“It’s beautiful,” Jade replies, carefully taking the dress from her. (And it  _ is,  _ truly.) “Thank you, Gemma.”

Gemma breathes a sigh of relief, and yet her visible nerves don’t seem to calm in the slightest. Not to mention how red her face has become… (Oh, goddessdammit, the boys were  _ right,  _ weren’t they? Eleven will never let her hear the end of this.) “Glad to hear it,” she mumbles in response. More fidgeting, as her eyes dance around the room, looking anywhere but at Jade. “There’s, ah, a bit more to it than just that…”

To Jade’s disbelief, Gemma  _ can _ blush harder than she already was. “Y’see, I’ve, um, grown rather fond of our trips, even beyond just what we do for the town. So I was wondering if maybe, you and I could go somewhere, without looking for someone who needs help? You know....” she pauses, growing ever more flustered. “Like a date, or something like that.”

Jade steps closer, taking Gemma’s hand. “Oh, I would  _ love  _ that.”

The door slams shut, and Jade just barely hears Erik shout “fucking  _ finally” _ as he (and, presumably, Eleven) run from the inevitable fury of Cobblestone’s protectors.

\---

Whispers echo throughout Erdrea as always, telling tales of the mythical city of Cobblestone. A place of great riches, a place that few (if any) have found and still lived to tell the tale. Supposedly, they say, the treasure found there would make anyone rich beyond their wildest dreams.

Jade is inclined to agree, though for a different reason than the rest: Cobblestone’s treasure is, indeed, its people, and in her opinion, Gemma is the greatest treasure of all.

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: thechavanator (main) / eleven-of-light (inactive-ish spoiler tumblr) / chellion-characters (inactive-ish oc blog)  
> twitter: dqChellion (fandom musings)  
> discord: Chel!#2061


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